Gone are the generic booths from years past. The new locations - called marketplaces, not kiosks - are mini kitchen outlets where chefs can create culinary magic every day. David Buckley, the art director for the festival, is behind much of the redesign.

We've been talking about it over on the forums for a couple of weeks now, but our good friends over at the Disney Food Bloghave a first look into the brand new Main Street Bakery! A few select guests have been receiving dining vouchers to test out the renovated diggs on Main Street and new home to Walt Disney World's first Starbucks location!

If you have seen the Disney/Pixar film Up you might remember that young Russell is a Wilderness Explorer who loves to have great adventures and earn badges based on those adventures.

Soon guests at Disney's Animal Kingdom will have a chance to become Wilderness Explorers just like Russell, experiencing the park in a way that will deepen their understanding of animals and our natural world.

Get ready for a swashbuckling good time at the Magic Kingdom, because according to the Disney Parks Blog Pirates are taking over Adventureland this spring with a new interactive entertainment adventure.

The Walt Disney Imagineers are hard at work on a new project in Walt Disney World - updating Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's queue area.

The Magic Kingdom attraction is receiving a new, interactive queue, which will include the backstory of the gentleman pictured to the right, one Barnabas T. Bullion, the Founder and President of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. His story is as follows:

Got plans to visit Walt Disney World in 2013? You may want to take note of this: Disney recently announced (with a huge ice castle in New York City's Time Square) they will be adding something called "Limited Time Magic" to their parks next year. Disney describes this new bit of magic as "unexpected experiences with an extra sprinkle of Pixie Dust . . . that'll appear, then disappear when the next debuts."

It may seem hard to believe that zebras haven't been a part of Animal Kingdom's Kilimanjaro Safaris for a few years. But that won't be the case much longer as Disney is slowly reintroducing the white-and-black striped animals to the theme park's savanna where they will be featured in the finale for the safari attraction.

A herd of fifteen zebras have called the backstage, behind-the-scenes areas of AK home since February and have been acclimating to the new surroundings since. The zebras, of the Plains variety, are all female and range in age from five to ten years old.

Here are a couple of news tidbits for those of you heading out to the parks soon that have to do with Disney's Animal Kingdom and an Epcot character meet and greet.

First up, the next time you find yourself at AK, check out the new animal guides. Found at the main entrance, the tip board and Mombasa Marketplace, the animal guides should cover most animals found within AK. These guides look to be in a trial phase which began just the other day (October 1) and should be available through November 30.

There seems to be a trend going on at Walt Disney World involving interactive queues for attractions. It's recently been announced Frontierland staple Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will be the next ride at WDW to jump aboard the interactive queue wagon.

"Fantasmic," one of the most popular attractions at Disney's Hollywood Studios, is slated to have more seating available in the near future. Disney is planning to install more benches at the show's amphitheater by the end of this month.

The plan to install the new seating stems from interviews by Disney with DHS guests. Says Dan Cockerell, vice president of DHS:

Inspired by the classic pub crawl, where participants spend an evening drinking in a series of pubs, today's post offers a fun way to experience some great tastes. Food & Beverage Crawls have become extremely popular way to enjoy all the delicious treats available at the Walt Disney World Resort. When you add in the annual fan favorite Epcot International Food & Wine Festival to the mix - the stops along the way are raised to a whole new level.

Just what I've been waiting for to truly celebrate the upcoming my favorite annual Disney event! It's the DFB Mini-Guide to the 2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival e-Book, and it is out now! This great guide has all the info you need to know, to be ready to go. Epcot Food & Wine festival rapidly approaching, and the special event booking dates are closing in. Now is the time to download your guide and grab your seat at the table.

With the new year comes new adventures and when "Food is a Theme Park" you need a tour guide as talented and knowledgeable as AJ Wolfe of the The Disney Food Blog. For the third year in a row her eBook "The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2013" takes its place as the definitive source for all of your Walt Disney World Dining needs.

Last week Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger received a letter from the Co-Chairman of the Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, Edward Markey, (D- Mass). The letter called the company on the carpet and demanded answers to seven multi-part questions about the collection of personal date from guests, with a focus on youth.

While waiting for Dinner at Ohana my traveling companion and I decided to check out some of the new drinks on the Disney Cocktail Menu. We had become well acquainted with the Lapu Lapu and appetizer menu on previous trips, this time we thought we should get a little adventurous.

After more than a year without one the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa will once again be home to an actual Spa, and this time it's Disney owned and run. Stepping out from behind the cover of a third party contractor Disney Parks and Resorts welcomes home a lush new retreat at the Grand Floridian. "Senses," the first of several new Disney Spas across property, is opening for business on December 17th, 2012.

Melinda touched on it last week and I wanted to delve a little deeper into the Country Bear Jamboree in the Magic Kingdom's Frontierland. Recently reopened after having been closed for refurbishment. Disney knows that rehabs can put fans of an attraction on edge. Though it's important to keep everything in good shape, most guests want their favorites to remain the same.

They say everything old becomes new again, and that's certainly the truth when it comes to fashion. One of my favorite childhood treasures is coming back strong all over Disney Parks, the charm bracelet!

runDisney events are increasing in popularity every year. It is so great to see more people adopting a healthy lifestyle in order to participate in these events. Disney is doing a great job of diversifying their races to appeal to runners at all levels. From walkers, to moderate runners, to experienced marathoners, there is something for everyone.